A ‘Good Frame of Mind’ is the AmericanFrame.com company blog where we write about all things art & framing. Here you will find a range of articles on frame design, framing tips and techniques, printing tutorials and answers to your ‘frequently asked’ customer service questions. We love to interact with our audience so we hope you’ll join our community by subscribing and commenting on the blog.

Tabs

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Two Tiny Tools Turn Tedious into Terrific

Two of a framer's secret tricks are the point driver and the spacer.

Points are small metal triangles which replace the clips which holds your art within your wood picture frame. A driver secures the points as easily as a stapler binds a stack of paper. The Frame Master Point Driver (F3010) is great for permanent framing and for creating shadow boxes. The FlexiMaster Point Driver (F3030) inserts flexible points, which makes it easy to change out the art in your frame without having to remove the points. Both products feature new lower prices so take advantage!

Spacers, which create an airspace betweeen the art and the acrylic, come in handy when you want to create some depth in your frame without the use of a mat or when the mat's thickness doesn't provide enough of a gap between your art and your acrylic. I was originally inspired to add spacers to our line after seeing an Olafur Ellison exhibit in Chicago a few years ago. The photographs were beautifully and simply framed with frames and spacers, which added a bit of drama and offered protection to the art.

The spacers we offer, EconoSpace from FrameTek, are neutral pH plastic "peel & stick" cubes which bond to the edge of the acrylic. Simple to install, they disappear under the frame's face and prevent paper buckling, image transfer, and adhesion of the artwork to the acrylic. Available in two sizes: 1/8" in clear and 1/4" in clear or black. All come in lengths of 2', 3' and 5' and are easliy cut with a utility knife. Sold in bundles of 12.

As always, if you have any questions, please give us a call! (800) 537-0944 M-F, 8:30 - 5:30 EST.

3 comments:

I had a problem with spacers/mat/acrylic making the piece too thick to fit into the frame. I ended up giving up and not using the spacers, after all that work to measure, cut, and adhere them... Now the acrylic is dangerously too close to the pastel art, but at least it's in the frame.When I placed the order it would have been nice to know the frame didn't have enough depth to accommodate spacers. I was disappointed and frustrated by the experience.

Susan, Yes, I understand that can be frustrating. Any time you create depth within the frame it's very important to understand the rabbet depth (or the depth of the inside of the frame as opposed to the outside)of the moulding you choose. It's important to consider all the items you are stacking: the acrylic, the spacer, your art and any mat boards. Next time contact Customer Service and they will help you make it right. Thanks for your comment.